Lohud.com's Mark Lungariello interviews Pete Harckham, who hopes to take the place of state Sen. Terrence Murphy.
Seth Harrison, sharriso@lohud.com

A race to watch in northern Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess.

Former Westchester County legislator Pete Harckham, photographed July 19, 2018, is running in a Democratic Party primary against Robert Kesten for the state senate seat currently held by Terrence Murphy.(Photo11: Seth Harrison/The Journal News)

Five months ago, Peter Harckham donated to the New York state Senate campaign of his friend Robert Kesten.

Two months later, he launched a Democratic Party primary challenge against him.

“Several people called me, asked me to look at the race because they didn’t think they were getting the kind of traction they thought we could get,” Harckham, 57, said. “And yes, the governor was one of those people but he was certainly not by any means the only person.”

Harckham is a former Westchester County legislator who resigned in 2015 to take a job with the administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He said he’d be suited to bring in support from voters not affiliated with either party, giving him an edge in the November general election against incumbent Sen. Terrence Murphy, a two-term Yorktown Republican.

Kesten said that the governor “waited to ask, or to push” Harckham in the race until after he’d begun fundraising and building support. By the time Harkham got started, Kesten had already netted endorsements from many local Democratic committees in the Senate’s 40th District, which includes northern Westchester and parts of Putnam and Dutchess counties.

“Had Pete, or the governor, put someone in the race before it was united, where we were united against Murphy it would have been a different story,” Kesten, 62, said during a recent radio interview on WVOX “High Noon.” “But to come in after people had unified, after people had agreed to work together, and then to break us apart, and then say they ‘were putting up a candidate for party unity’ – that part doesn’t make much sense to me.”

Robert Kesten, Democratic candidate for District 40 of the New York State Senate, pictured on WVOX Radio's "High Noon," June 21, 2018.(Photo11: Mark Lungariello/The Journal News)

Both candidates live in Lewisboro. They say they remain cordial and are confident Democrats can be united regardless of who wins after the primary.

But they may have to seek delicate balance during the primary, proving their liberal bona fides to a newly-energized left while also looking ahead to the general election, when votes from moderates may help flip a red seat.

Control up for grabs

District 40 is one of the few battleground districts in the state that could determine which party controls the Senate. Every legislator is up for election in November and a gain of even one seat for Democrats can topple a slim Republican majority.

Earlier this year, there was an effort to unify Democrats, pushing together mainliners with a faction called the Independent Democratic Conference that had broken for several years with the Democratic caucus. Brooklyn Democrat Simcha Felder continued to caucus with the GOP even after the unification movement though, giving Republicans a one-seat majority.

Shelley Mayer is congratulated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo after she defeated Republican Julie Killian in the race for the New York State Senate 37th District April 24, 2018. Mayer and fellow Democrats were celebrating at Molly Spillane's restaurant in Mamaroneck.(Photo11: Seth Harrison/The Journal News)

The District 40 seat has been held by a Republican for years, even though active registered Democrats outnumber Republicans there 70,498-59,222, according to state Board of Elections logs. There are also 49,696 active voters not registered to any party that could be in play.

Local Democrats are riding high after a string of “blue wave” victories since the election of President Donald Trump. Since Trump won the 2016 election, Democrats have seen a new level of engagement from residents who may have previously sat out off-year elections, including the formation of groups such as Indivisible, part of a national movement to oppose the Trump agenda.

Trump a factor?

In 2017, Westchester Democrats took a stance of making Trump a campaign issue and won big in local elections, flipping the county executive seat in a landslide win by George Latimer over incumbent Republican Rob Astorino. They built on that with another landslide in the April special election of Shelley Mayer, who won the Senate’s 37th District seat.

How that momentum will translate in District 40 remains to be seen as Sen. Murphy, 52, remains popular and twice won election handily, including in 2016, during the last presidential race.

Kesten said enthusiasm still seems to be there but he hoped it wouldn’t be dampened if there was a feeling the movement was co-opted by the establishment.

“I do wonder what will happen as we head into a primary, and then based on the results of that primary, what that will look like in November,” he said. “And I think that most people will still focus on beating Terrence Murphy.”

Harckham said his experience in government and as a lawmaker gives him the edge, but that he and Kesten’s message is the same: Republicans are the wrong choice to lead the Senate.

“I think progressives and centrists will see that they failed to lead and they’ve abdicated that right,” he said.

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Kesten, a consultant for a nonprofit, said his son suffers from schizophrenia and a single-payer health plan would be his priority if elected. He describes himself as someone who never aspired to be a politician, and that gives him the ability to be a fresh voice. He has been a town Democratic district leader and worked on political campaigns in the past.

Harckham said his record shows what he’s done and not just what he says he can do. As a county lawmaker between 2008 and 2015, he said he was an advocate for affordable housing, eviction prevention and foreclosure prevention. He served for a time as Democratic majority leader in the county legislature.

Kesten raised slightly more money than Harckham in the latest campaign financing period in July. Kesten ended the period with almost $69,000 cash on hand, according to the state Board of Elections filing. Harckham, who entered the race much later than Kesten, with slightly more than $41,000.

Murphy ended the same period with almost $419,000. A Murphy campaign spokeswoman didn’t answer an email.

Unusual day to vote

The primary is on Sept. 13, a Thursday. The election was pushed from Tuesday, the traditional day to vote, because of Rosh Hashanah and Sept. 11 remembrances.

Harckham said he differentiates himself through what he’s accomplished.

“I have a record and if they choose to go in another direction, you know, that’s the democratic process,” he said. “I’m proud of my record, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished in government.”

Kesten said a victory in District 40 would send a message that candidates running against the status quo can win.